


Zuko's Life is a Lie

by preciousbunnynoiz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Confusion, Crack, Existential Crisis, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Melodrama, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Zuko (Avatar) is an Idiot, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25239577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciousbunnynoiz/pseuds/preciousbunnynoiz
Summary: Instead of challenging Zuko to an Agni Kai Ozai just straight up banished him with no possibility of return.Only Zuko doesn't know and thinks he is just looking for the Avatar for his Dad with a non crushed spirit and intact moral compassOnly when he does find Aang he finds out Iroh was lying to him, and maybe the Fire Nation was lying about everything and are the baddies??
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Iroh & Katara & Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 149





	Zuko's Life is a Lie

_ Prologue _

"Uncle what did dad say?" Zuko bounded up to Iroh anxiously as soon as the older man left the war room. 

Ozai had ordered Zuko out as soon as the boy had objected to the heinous plan of the general.

Iroh had pleaded but his brother was firm. 

Zuko was banished, no possibility of return. 

But looking at his nephew's hopeful face Iroh couldn't tell him that.

"Congratulations Prince Zuko, for standing up for what is right, the Fire Lord has decided you are ready for a special mission. You will carry on Sozin's most vital work, apprehending the Avatar. We will leave at dawn for a long voyage so go pack, quickly!" 

Iroh watched as Zuko grinned with joy before giving him a quick hug before running off to do as asked. 

It broke Iroh's heart to lie to the boy but he just couldn't bear to crush his nephew's hopes

_ The boy in the iceberg _

"Hi!" Zuko waved a little awkwardly, "Sorry about your wall I'm just-" 

He dodged the charging warrior who seemed quite young, not terribly well trained, and worryingly alone.

"Uh I'm ideally not here to fight," Zuko continued, ducking something that was thrown at him and taking in the scared women and children before being dinged in the back of the head.

"Ow! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Time out! Are you all civilians? This is embarrassing." 

The warrior tried to attack but Zuko disarmed him and pinned his arms. 

"Guys," Zuko shouted back at his men, "you can go back on the ship. This feels a bit too overly aggressive." There was a pause before the men kind of shrugged and did as asked.

Zuko let go of the warrior spinning him around and shaking his hand. 

"Let's start again. I'm Prince Zuko and I'll leave your village as soon as you tell me if you have the Avatar." 

The warrior looked at him with an expression that suggested that Zuko was a talking platypus bear. 

Then there was a loud yelling and a flurry of snow and then this  _ child _ wearing pyjamas showed up.

"Let him go! I'm the Avatar." 

Zuko blinked at him. 

"But you're a baby?" 

The kid flushed even as the Warrior snorted in amusement.

"I'm not a baby! I'm twelve!" 

Zuko was conflicted. 

On the one hand he was supposed to capture or kill the Avatar. 

On the other hand this felt like kidnapping.

Zuko let go of the Warrior's hand and pressed his palms together in front of his face as he inhaled sharply.

"Okay. I really don't feel comfortable trying to take you prisoner but are you willing to come with me while I discuss what to do with my uncle? It would make things a lot easier and we can get this whole mess sorted." Zuko tried hopefully.

"Uh….sure? As long as you promise to leave these people and their village alone!" The kid tried to inject some authority but Zuko was just appalled.

"They're  _ civilians! _ Well except for him" Zuko hooked a thumb at the Warrior kid, "but it's clear this isn't a military establishment so of course I wouldn't hurt them! I mean I'm not a  _ monster." _

"Well...okay then." The Avatar agreed, shooting a girl in the crowd a confused look.

"Great! I'll ask Uncle to make us some tea!" Zuko turned to the warrior and bowed, "The Fire Nation thanks you for your cooperation and apologies for any distress." When he stood upright he found the boy was gaping at him.

"Oh did you want help fixing your wall? No? Well sorry again." And with that Zuko led the Avatar onto the ship. 

They found Uncle in his room on the ship after they had gotten some distance away.

"Uncle can you make some tea? I need advice."

"Of course, nephew." His uncle said but as Aang popped up behind him with a little wave he seemed to freeze with a look of shock.

"Soooo I found the Avatar and I know I'm supposed to bring him back to father or something but he's just a kid! It feels- wrong! Like I'm kidnapping or something!" Zuko ranted as he paced back and forth.

"Uh Prince Zuko are you sure he's the Avatar?" Uncle asked nervously.

"He said he is."

"Hi sir! I'm Aang and I am definitely the Avatar. I somehow got frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years." The Avatar said, sitting down with a grin.

Zuko made a gesture between his Uncle and Aang as if to say  _ "see! I told you!"  _

Uncle paled even further.

"Nephew in light of this new information I feel it prudent to make a small confession. The Fire Lord didn't task you with finding the Avatar." 

Zuko didn't understand and said as much but Uncle wouldn't meet his eye.

"You were in fact... banished." 

Zuko felt sick.

"Then was I supposed to find Aang to...restore my honour or something?" But he knew that wasn't right and it was confirmed when Uncle flinched guiltily.

"Seriously?! Next you'll be telling me the airbenders  _ didn't _ have an army!"

"Uhhh" Aang said raising a hand nervously, "we didn't. We believe all life is sacred. I don't even eat meat!" 

Zuko stared at him.

"SERIOUSLY!?" 

By the time the Water Tribe siblings (Sokka and Katara as Aang helpfully informed him) caught up on Aang's Bison Zuko was in a full fledged rant on the deck of the ship.

"You're seriously telling me your people didn't steal babies OR sacrifice the non airbender babies!?" 

"No. We were peace loving and just raised the children communally. Being a nonbender didn't mean you couldn't be spiritual you just couldn't get air bending tattoos." Aang was explaining from where he sat and watched Zuko pace. 

"Uh Aang? What's happening?" Sokka asked, sliding down the sky bison onto the deck, one eye on Zuko who wheeled suddenly and pointed at him.

"You! Sokka! Do your people eat babies in winter?" 

Sokka looked appropriately offended.

"What!? Of course we don't!" 

"How about eating raw meat?" 

"That's how you get parasites!" 

"Do you allow for same sex relationships?" 

"N- Actually yes but what's so bad about that?" Sokka asked, forgetting to be offended.

Zuko opened his mouth, paused, closed it again and frowned.

"I don't actually know. That was always a weird one." He admitted, "What about being sexist?" 

"Okay that one is pretty true too but that's mainly just Sokka." Katara offered. 

"Hey!"

"Wait so if most of what I've been taught a lie then… is my ENTIRE life a lie!? Are we," Zuko froze in horror, "are we the baddies!?" 

"Uh. Yeah. Literally everyone knows that." Sokka sounded unimpressed and Zuko couldn't help the wounded sound he made.

"Well  _ I  _ didn't know! Between that and me  _ apparently _ being banished because I didn't want to sacrifice a bunch of our troops needlessly because it was  _ wrong  _ I don't know what to think anymore!"

"Okay okay if you're done having an existential crisis can Aang go? We need to take him to the Northern Water Tribe to get water bending training." Sokka sounded a little fed up but that just helped Zuko realise what he needed to do to sort out his head.

"I'm coming with you." 

"You're what now?" 

"Come on." Zuko grabbed Sokka by the hand and dragged him to his quarters and shoved a bag at him.

"Just pack whatever you think is useful." He ordered as he quickly stripped off his armor leaving him in just his black inner layers. 

He quickly gathered his dao and grabbed a straight sword for Sokka (might as well start with a peace offering. He did break the guy's wall.)

Sokka kind of automatically seemed to just go along with Zuko's random order. 

"Why are you coming with us?" He asked even as he shoved things in the bag as Zuko rolled up some blankets.

"Because everyone I have ever known has apparently been lying to me my entire life and I need to see the world and figure what is real and what's fake." He explained.

"And you have to do that with us why?" Sokka asked.

"Because you're the only people who seem to be honest from the start! I mean you even confirmed you're sexist!" Zuko was sure this was what he had to do.

"Hey that was Katara not me!" Sokka objected and Zuko rolled his eyes as he tossed him a bedroll.

"Whatever, but also since my Uncle lied about the fact that I'm banished and I only just found out I kinda don't want to stay with him so help a guy out." 

Sokka stared at him for a moment and sighed. 

"You're really fucking weird dude. But fine. Only because this day can't get any weirder."

"Great!" 

And that's how Aang, Katara, and Sokka started off on their journey to save the world.

And also Zuko was there. 

Making it weird.

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot to take my meds so you can blame this fic on that. The first chapter is the longest we will spend on one episode by the way. The rest of the chapters will be small moments of Zuko making it weird


End file.
